tinnitus, phantom sound perception (NL: oorsuizen)
Conditions
Interventions
In a first session, at the otorinolaryngologie department, a hearing test will be combined with matching of the tinnitus (subjective loudness and pitch). In the second session, at Scannexus, the patie
Sponsors
Maastricht University
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: The main inclusion criteria of the patient groups are: • Male or female between 18 and 75 years • Subjective tinnitus (i.e. not caused by an acoustic source inside the head, e.g., vascular abnormalities that cause pulsatile tinnitus) • Stable tinnitus (i.e., present for at least 8 h per day since more than a year) • Tinnitus that is dominant within one of three octaves (low: 3000 Hz; the exact frequency ranges will be determined empirically based on patient availability) • Patient has not received medical care from an otolaryngologist and is able and willing to undergo the MRI measurements, as indicated by written informed consent. The main inclusion criteria of the healthy subjects are: • Male or female between 18 and 75 years • No tinnitus • Subject is able and willing to undergo the MRI measurements, as indicated by written informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Exclusion criteria of the patient groups are: • Fletcher Index > 50 dB HL for both ears (i.e., mean of hearing loss in decibels for 1k, 2k and 4k Hz) • Hyperacusis (oversensitivity to sound), phonophobia (defined as a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of sound), misophonia (dislike of certain sound), • Neurological-, neurosurgical- and psychiatric history • Use of dopaminergic drugs since this medication greatly influence the fMRI scans (Haslinger et al., 2001, Mattay et al., 2002) • Morbid obesitas (BMI > 35) since it cannot be guaranteed that these subjects will fit in the scanner • Current treatment of tinnitus and implanted devices or other metal objects that are not suitable for MRI. Exclusion criteria of the healthy subjects are: • Fletcher Index > 50 dB HL for both ears (i.e. mean of hearing loss in decibels for 1k, 2k and 4k Hz) • Hyperacusis (oversensitivity to sound), phonophobia (defined as a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of sound), misophonia (dislike of certain sound), • Neurological-, neurosurgical- and psychiatric history • Use of dopaminergic drugs since this medication greatly influence the fMRI scans (Haslinger et al., 2001, Mattay et al., 2002) • Morbid obesitas (BMI > 35) since it cannot be guaranteed that these subjects will fit in the scanner • Current treatment of tinnitus and implanted devices or other metal objects that are not suitable for MRI.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The link between frequency tuning and tinnitus will be tested by comparing the size and response magnitude of the auditory cortex regions that show tuning to the patient’s specific tinnitus frequency vs. regions that show tuning to the other (non-tinnitus) frequencies. In this way, patients can serve as their own controls, in addition to matching healthy controls. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Furthermore, anatomical features (measures of myelin content and cortical thickness) will be assessed in the same regions of interest as mentioned in the primary outcome. | — |
Contacts
Public ContactL. Riecke
Outcome results
None listed